[Jain and Chris]

I agree entirely Ivelin. When we did our renovations (I know it's not a new build but the same ideas apply), we paid on a scheduled basis and kept a good 35% for after it was finished - just to make sure was all ok.

The builder was happy with this - any decent builder will be happy with a retainer kept back at the end so that you can be sure everything is correct. It's up to you to negotiate the amounts. And remember, anything not written in a contract does not exist, so be careful!

All the best